1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to apparatus for cleaning an air opening in a furnace and more particularly to apparatus for cleaning air ports in a chemical recovery boiler.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Sulfur-reducing recovery boilers used in pulp and paper processing are generally known and include a plurality of air ports located around the base of a huge boiler. As a part of the process, a build up of slag in the ports occurs which reduces oxygen flow to the burner flame thereby impairing the efficiency of the whole pulp and paper making process. Heretofore, ports in sulfur reducing recovery boilers which numbered anywhere from 50 to 200 ports, had to be cleaned manually as slag accumulated in the ports at the base of the boiler. Within the last several years, however, there has appeared several automatic port cleaning systems which eliminate the need for and the inefficiency associated with the manual cleaning of such boilers.
These automatic systems conventionally include one or more elongated cleaning rods which are mounted on the outside wall of the boiler and which are periodically actuated to enter the air ports and free the ports of debris by a reciprocating and/or oscillatory motion followed by retraction to some selected distance behind the air port so as not to obstruct the air flow into the boiler via the respective ports. Due to the manner in which the known prior art port cleaners have been constructed, parts having critical temperatures have been located much too close to the ports causing the parts to constantly break down, thereby increasing the down time and thus decreasing the efficiency of the sulfur-reducing recovery boiler.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improvement in mechanical port cleaners.
It is another object of the invention to provide an automatic port cleaning system for sulfur reducing recovery boilers.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an improved air port cleaner for sulfur-reducing recovery boilers which eliminates the manual cleaning process of the slag build up on recovery boiler air ports.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a recovery boiler port cleaner which provides substantially uniform air supply to increase boiler efficiency and to reduce boiler blackouts.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an improvement in mechanical port cleaners for sulfur-reducing recovery boilers which provide a safe environment for personnel operating around the recovery boiler.